New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-04-05
CATHERINE l.. WOLFE DEAD.
LIFE FULL OF BINErAcrIoss ENDED.
PERSONAL TRAITS AND IXCTD Nrs IN HER LIFE
MANY GIN EOCs GIF1s-uER PAINT
rNcS ftnr'Srs

40. II NalisDnave.. ar o''lirk yesterday mon ming
Her health had been poor ever since size lett Newport
last non enhcr ana dozen times iling the Hlhef $le
scarcely exl ceed by her rh -ieian 10 live another
weniy ior orrs. ~ hat,h Sic accmed TO take ;un
tie betrand was able 10 II M in led LOW and them
Her Doctors were horcfri that size world
Ice able 10 get alort again ard the bulletins
Of her condition. which had appeared from day
to day in the newspapers disa lpeared entirely.
Miss wolfe had al along been suffering rom Brlghts
disease of the kidneys. Last week an attack OF pnen
uOna. symptom often OF the last stages OF kidney
trouble complicated the still further DE- LOOMS
called In TO consult With Miss Wolfe's regular ply
stefan, DR.. William Tod Eclmu;h, but nothing could be
done At o'clock sunday evening she lost conscious
entirely and lay for thirteen hours afterward in
painless untroubled state between life aud DEATH Dr.
IIelmuth went away from the house at L
o'clock yesterday morning, convinced That she
would die In twelve hours at the furthest and that
recovery OF consciousness WAS Iossi' e MISS Nofes
first cousin. Miss Brucc-who has been a the Madison
Avenue house ever since Ncvember-the pro-
fcssiona nurses, and few of the family servants were
in the room when Miss Wolfe died.
Many OF the dead womans relatives and friends called
during the day 10 leave their condolences Only the but
er however formally charge at the big house III
Madison Square Miss Wolfes cousin, David W. Bishop,
who has long her confidential adviser and is spoken
OF her probable executor will have general direction OF
the funeral services. The funeral will take place on
Thursday morning O'Clock in Grace Church Bishop
Potter and the Rev. DR.. Huntington will ohciate. The
burial will be IN the family plot III Greenwood cmetery
Miss Wolfe left relatives nearer than first cousins
Mr. Bishop Is OF these on her fathers side. The
others that side David Bruce George Bruce. and
the Misses Bruce five in all On her mothers side
Pierre Lorlard Jacob Lorllard Louis Loriilar Mrs
James r. Kernochan, Mrs. II. f. Barbe and Mrs. Lawrence
Kip Among her second cousins the WOlfes lhohases
Conklings, ROLES and ReyEoldses.
ALBION p. Man drew up Miss Wofes will and he alone
r..lo afnfn he
trbuted The reading of the will will not take place for
some days Some OF Miss Woos friends have said that
she thought Mt one time OF giving her nhe
collection OF paintings with the Madison-aye house. TO
the city. Another conjecture turns the paintings over to
one of the art societies These gucsscs of
course MI Bishop said last night that no one except
Miss wolle's lawyer knew anything nbout the con
tents OF the will, and any statement that
conld he made before the will was read
was wholly conjecture. Not even the amount OF
Miss Woes fortune ia known definitely at present Some
OF her friends put it at Sl00O0,000; Others at
S2j. 100000 fair estimate perhaps, would make II
$50. 900 0O0 Miss Wolfe gave away several millions
during her lifetime For q while she averaged 100000
year in gifts then 100000, and finally S25oOOo
only her final illness put stop TO her active and pains
taking charities.
II is said that Miss Wolfe not long ago made Bishop
Potter the custodian Of 100000 the nucleus OF fund
for n Protestant Episcopal Cathedral here. This was
denied last night by Bishop Potter himself He refused
TO say thing in regard TO Miss Wolfe or her bequess
| Miss Wolfe was born In this city IN 1926 She was the
elder daughter Of John David Wolfe tho rich hardware
merchant who married Dorothea the daughter OF Peter
| Iorillard the elder. Mrs Wolfe died In 1866 and the
Younger daughter Mary. after John David Wolfe
survived the rest Peter Lorards heirs and died In
ls72ieavng Catharne sole hercs to Sl2 900 0o0-from
the two estates She then iortysiK years OIL But
though apar; from her great wealth winning, charm
| ing woman much admired and courted, she never
tn gfafx~ la lar
Younger years and spent much Of her time In mddeage
/ I'm ira Cling she was never n Iecuse, kept wel-in
| formed on general topics and church ana
| charitable work. and gave her closest personal at
| icntion to all the business OF her estate
Though she consulted lawyers and had Managers her
own decisions generally those which she followed
in the Of her charities and her fortune she
was always an ardent Protestant EpIscopaian and
GrAc. Church. OF which she member owes much OF
| force In church work and charities 10 her.
Tho history Of Miss wolies life in fact is for the
most part that of her benefaconA Like her fathers.
ost OF her gifts made within the Protestant Eps
copa Church Mr. Wolfe had enlisted her sympahes in
tho conduct OF charities time before he died
These objects OF benevoenco included the High School
for girls Denver. Coli fund for the college OF the Ss
tiers OF Bethany sdocesan school for girls at kan
the Theological seminary connected with Kenyon Col
rge Ohio and all OF these Miss Wolfe gave full sup
port out in suffolk County on Long Island, cluster
titne children aud for worthy Christian men made poor
by the OF fortune To these Institutions MISS
work done in the sheltering Arms at Manhattanvile.
started By her father and Mrs Peter Cooper Her hrs
GIFT after fathers death was to furnish at tordhan
Site the Home for lncuraDes she Knew
that he had planned this bat the gift was surprise 10
the directors OF the home sue gave TiVoooo 10 ,o
COLLEGE, built tho American Chapel at Rome contributes
to the chapel In Paris paid for the Mulberry street ita
ian Mission and st. Philips tcolored Church aud erected
the NewsbOys' Lodging House In East Broadway. she
W5fe Fund gave freely in cases OF individual and fam
is need and subscribed literally TO many OF the church
states She gave the Jay collection OF shells to the MI
scum Natural History OF which her father was the
I Expedition i1 to Asia Minor in 1854. This com
paay Of students under Dr. ssrreM
throwing light the history OF the scriptures ana
bringing to knowledge new tablets and pillars oil ihscrp
Grace Church owes much Miss Wolfe She built tho
on the north paid FOR organ the reredos and pre-
| sented the handsome "Te Deum" window. This has
been pronounced the finest stained glass window IN the
United states In order to 1t placed in the best
position the transept was torn down ana sci Dack zen
feet and lot bought In folrh-aye 81 that no structure
may there TO shut out the light Her iast git
was the purchase OF a lot at No ~ Lafayette
Tor tho Bishops Office and the accommodation OF
$4,000 and the papers were signed during her last SICK
Besides these bcnefactIons Miss Wolfe gave much
business manager may be aware OF some Instances
Rev j. r. Neyn. OF the American Chapel, az ZONE pIs
all OF what she bcsowcd In cases OF need was Prooap5
not known TO even the conhdentia advisers. ~ l., ,u
Miss WOfe's collection OF modern paintings Is wen
known through public exhibitions aud reproductions 81
the specimens cngravings. About 1873 OF lot
she commissioned second cousin, John Wolfe clever
connoiscur collect gallery of paintings Tor tpe Mao.
ison square mouse. The result was COLLECTION WnB
shows scarcely single indifferent piece ana Includes
many best Iieces OF modern paintings In IL are
three examples OF MISSIONER, The Two Van,
derveds," "a General and his Adiulant" ,% ana
color, The Sign Painter" JuIes
Breton is represented by Parton in brittany Rosa
onheur Scotch landscape with cattle aud her We'll
known hound 1royon by Dutch landscape, with cattle
also L. Bouna has The Egyptian tellLh woman anu
a Roman Girl Oh the Campagna.' CaDahel panteu, u
full face and thrcr-quarter length portrait OF aiSs VOLTS
for tho collection and symbolic Bride OF inc Nhio"
For tue portrait Miss Wolfe hsu 10
90 to Paris To sit In 1873 The CHRISTIAN
Martyr" Is Gabriel Max's.and The Ford ffoinenun
Among the othuS are BOgguoreaus 3" \ Glrl anu u
Child" Bangsst " Arabs In Turkish Gaze, il0ty =
wise aud Foolish Virgins" Alfred stcvenss ihe JAP
anes Toilet ani Preparing for the Promenade" De,